The Sacrifice
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Badly injured after being abducted and sold as a sacrifice, Tetsuya falls into the hands of Aizen Sousuke. Realizing that Tetsuya is a young transcendent, Aizen makes a shocking proposal to train Tetsuya in exchange for his obedience and his love. Tetsuya ponders then whether he is to serve the king with his life or with his death...yaoi, mpreg...Aizen/Tetsuya, Kenpachi/Byakuya
1. Abduction

**The Sacrifice**

**By Spunky0ne**

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**So, June 1 marked the beginning of Tetsuya's birthday month, meaning that all Tetsuya containing stories are active! Happy Birthday, Tetsuya. Wishing you all of the love from all of our favorite Bleach boys...good and bad!**

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**(_Badly injured after being abducted and sold to be a sacrifice, Tetsuya falls into the hands of Aizen Sousuke. Upon realizing that Tetsuya is a young transcendent, Aizen makes a shocking proposal to train Tetsuya in his abilities in exchange for his obedience and his love. Tetsuya ponders then whether he is to serve the king with his life or with his death_...yaoi, mpreg...Aizen/Tetsuya, Kenpachi/Byakuya **AN**The Kenny/Bya will begin in Chapter 2.)**

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**Chapter 1: Abduction**

"Did you bring him?" a lowered male voice asked as a cloaked and hooded shinigami crept into view in the dark clearing.

The other person nodded briefly and indicated a crumpled form on the ground near them.

"You made sure that he got the full dose? I don't want him coming back," the man said, "I have had to endure that trash parading about as though he was actually one of us...cozying up to our leader and insulting our honor by the very act of living and breathing."

He reached into his kimono and withdrew a parcel, then handed it to the other. The hooded shinigami bowed briefly and walked back into the trees, leaving the man with his collapsed captive. He waited for several minutes, watching in the direction that the hired kidnapper had gone. He closed his eyes, smirking as a large explosion somewhere in that direction, rumbled the ground.

"No witnesses," the man whispered, "I do not want a trail back to me."

He turned back to the unconscious man who still laid in a heap on the ground, and lifted him into his arms.

"Come, Cousin, I shall take you somewhere where you can rest...permanently, that is. And don't think that four-legged abomination will be any help to you. With your reiatsu sealed away and masking kido all around you, you will be a little hard to find."

He fell silent, moving quickly through the trees and emerging into a small clearing. He looked around and spotted a shadowy form ahead of him. He walked towards it, watching as it resolved itself into the shape of an odd hollow.

"Ah, Kuchiki-san," the hollow said, smirking, "You have brought him as promised."

"Hai," said the noble, "He is even dressed for the occasion, as you can see."

"And he is...still virginal?" the hollow asked, "He is only useful for our ceremony if he is a virgin."

"He is untouched. Check if you like. He was an inmate in Itamigiri through his childhood, marked to become one of their breeders, but rescued before he was old enough. He has been celibate ever since, as well."

The hollow slipped a hand beneath the unconscious man's clothes and focused a soft flare of red reiatsu on the area around his privates. He blinked slowly, then nodded in approval.

"A lovely specimen," he commented, gazing down at the man's comely face, "It is almost a shame to feed him to the beast, but if we do not offer him quality morsels, he will devour us...and we do not want that."

"Of course not," said the noble, glancing down at his unconscious cousin, "But he is just chaff...a half breed. Powerful, yes, but mongrel blooded. Our clan is glad to be rid of him."

"Hmmm," mused the hollow, "Well then, it works out for both of us."

"Yes," said the noble, setting the younger man in the hollow's waiting arms, "Just...be certain that he does not somehow survive and return. We are done with him and want him gone."

The hollow turned away and engaged his sonido, opening a garganta and passing back into Hueco Mundo. He angled towards a small mountainous area, skirting the edge of a small military encampment. He had nearly reached his destination when a large cougar-like hollow charged at him, growling and snarling.

"Get back, you foolish dog!" he hissed, holding the unconscious man more tightly as the hollow hound closed in.

In his arms, the young man stirred at the sounds of growling. His blue eyes opened slightly, and squinted at the hollow who carried him. He caught his breath in surprise and began to struggle, distracting the hollow for a moment. And in that moment, the hollow hound charged, grabbing the more humanoid hollow by the throat, and quickly dispatching him as the man he was holding crashed to the sandy ground. The young man crawled away on his hands and knees, moving carefully to avoid the attention of the hound as it enjoyed it's meal. He reached the cover of some rocks and staggered to his feet, looking around dizzily. He thought he could see light in the distance and turned towards it, pausing to pick up several large rocks to use as protection, as his powers seemed to have been sealed away.

He had stumbled about halfway to the distant, lighted area when he heard a soft sound behind him and realized that the hollow hound had finished devouring the other hollow, and was now tracking him.

"Kami!" he panted, breaking into a run.

He knew he had no chance of hiding, so he ran as fast as he could. But his vision faded in and out, and he quickly tired. Still, he had nearly reached the edges of the lighted area when the hound howled to note that he was closing in. His skin crawled as the sound of heavy, canine breathing, and the swish of the sand under the hound's paws warned him he was going to fall short.

"No!" he gasped, "Not so close to...!"

He was forced to turn, just as the light began to reveal the desert around him in more detail. Bereft of his and powers, he took the rocks in hand and hurled the first as the hound charged at him, striking it on the forehead and taking the beast off his feet. Unfortunately, the creature was on its feet again in a moment, and charging him again. Once again, his thrown rock struck the hound, this time in the ribs. The hound swayed unsteadily for a moment, and the young man took the opportunity to turn and run for the lighted area ahead of him.

All thoughts of escape disappeared as the hollow hound appeared in his path and the young man skidded to a halt, putting up his hands as he was tackled and the hound began snapping at him. The young man quickly grabbed the dog's sensitive ears and clenched hard, holding the snapping jaws just barely away from his face and throat. The hound twisted and jolted, at one point, loosing himself enough to bite down on the young man's shoulder. The man screamed and picked up one of the sharp rocks he had dropped when the hound struck him. He pounded at the hound's head and face as the beast snapped at him, sinking his teeth into the young man's arm and forcing another scream of pain from his tightened lips.

"Lookie what we have here," laughed a hollow guard, stepping out from the main building, "The little fool shinigami thinks he can beat a hollow hound to death with rocks and his bare hands."

"What should we do?" laughed a second hollow, "Should we just put the poor bastard out of his misery? He's getting all chewed up."

They moved closer as the shinigami continued to struggle and emitted hard cries of pain each time the hound bit into him. The shinigami grabbed the hound's ears again and brought his bleeding body down onto the hound's. One hand continued to hold onto the hound's ears, and the other reached for a rock that was just out of reach. One of the hollow guards struck out with his foot, kicking the shinigami's hand away from the rock as the hollow hound sank his teeth into the young man's uninjured arm. But somehow, even with no rocks left, only his bare, bleeding hands, the man held the hound's head just away from his body.

"This is boring," yawned one of the guards, "Just kill the fucker already."

"I'm having fun watching the dog play rough with his food," said the other.

The shinigami's arms weakened as the hound lunged and twisted. Finally, it broke free of his hands and lunged at his throat.

The young man's wide, sapphire eyes stared in surprise as a heavy swell of reiatsu forced the hollow hound away from him and made the guards freeze and come to attention.

"Aizen-sama!" they said, reverently.

"What is this?" Aizen asked, looking down at the bloodied, panting shinigami.

He moved closer, tilting his head and studying the shinigami's lovely face.

"Interesting," he commented, raising his reiatsu until the shinigami collapsed all of the way to the ground and could not move except to breathe, "Who are you? You are a Kuchiki, ne? You are either reckless or just desperate to fight such a beast with rocks and your bare hands. Have you no zanpakuto?"

The young man felt his head go into a spin and closed his eyes. Rough hands lifted him and carried him into the base as he lost consciousness and plunged into blackness and silence.

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"He is beginning to regain consciousness," Gin said, watching the young man as his eyelids fluttered and opened to reveal wide sapphire eyes.

The shinigami's eyes blinked and examined Gin's smirking face, then that of the tall, brown-haired, brown-eyed man beside him.

"Do you have a name, shinigami?" Aizen asked, looking into the young man's fetching eyes and stopping just short of a smile.

"I..." the young man began, trying to sit up, then noticing the restraints on his wrists and ankles, "What are you doing? Who are you? How did I get here? Why am I tied down?"

"You don't know us?" Aizen asked curiously, "I thought that we were known to every shinigami in existence. Gin, we shall have to make sure we remedy this situation at once."

"Whatever you say, Sousuke," Gin answered, chuckling, "But I think that it is not that he doesn't know us. I found signs of an unfamiliar drug in his system, one with a suppressive factor in it. It may account for his confusion. There was a second drug as well, a strong sedative. Someone was not very nice to this young man, knocking him out and throwing him to the hollow hounds like that!"

"Who would want to do such a thing to a lovely young noble like this one?" asked Aizen, shaking his head in disapproval, "Unacceptable..."

"Will you please tell me where I am?" asked the young man, his widened eyes scanning the room for anything familiar.

"You are in Hueco Mundo, Las Noches, to be precise," said Aizen, releasing his restraints and allowing him to sit up, "I am Aizen Sousuke. You will call me Aizen-sama. This is Gin. And you are?"

"I..." the young man stammered, "I am..."

"You are a Kuchiki?" Aizen prompted him, "You are a relative of Kuchiki Byakuya?"

"Did I say that?" the shinigami asked, looking mystified, "I don't remember. Everything is very fuzzy. I only remember waking in the desert and being chased by that...that..."

"It was a hollow hound," said Gin, "You really shouldn't enter their territory unprepared like that. That beast made an awful mess of you. You are lucky you won't have any scars."

"Yes," said Aizen, "Gin did a masterful job of healing you. You should be grateful. He isn't always so kind."

"I am grateful," said the young man, "Arigato."

Aizen smirked.

"You have very nice manners, noble," he commented.

He walked to a pile of bloodied clothing that Gin had removed while healing the young man and searched it carefully.

"Were there any identifiable markings on his body, Gin?" Aizen asked.

"Hmmm, he has a prison inscription on the back of his right shoulder...Itamigiri."

"Itamigiri?" repeated Aizen, frowning curiously, "I don't remember a prison by that name. I wonder if it is a noble prison. But why would anyone put a lovely creature like you in a cage?" Aizen asked, slipping his hand under the man's chin and raising his eyes, "What sort of criminal _are_ you?"

"It also has the name 'Tetsuya' inscribed beneath it. It may be his name."

"Well, that is a beginning," said Aizen, "So then, Tetsuya, what shall we do with you? I don't think you want to risk returning to the desert, not powerless and weaponless. I doubt that you would survive for very long. And if you are an escaped prisoner, then you may not want to return to the Seireitei. You may be imprisoned again."

He thought for a moment.

"Perhaps I can find a use for you here," he suggested.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Gin said slyly, "I don't think a lovely, virginal young noble would last very long in Las Noches."

Tetsuya blushed brightly at the bold declaration.

"Virginal?" queried Aizen, "You examined him that thoroughly?"

"I didn't have to," said Gin, "There is a kido seal on his body, probably from the days of his incarceration. They were used to protect important prisoners from being raped by guards or other prisoners. It suggests that he was not a criminal, but a political prisoner of some kind."

"My," said Aizen, studying the young man's face for any sign of deceit, "You become more interesting by the moment, Tetsuya. I shall have to look into your identity. But while I do, I should offer you a safe place to rest and heal from your injuries."

He extended a hand, which Tetsuya slowly accepted. Tetsuya stood and followed as Aizen led him through several hallways, and past the guards who had found him outside the fortress. They saw that Aizen was with him and made no comment, but Tetsuya felt a shiver inside at what he saw in their eyes. He remained close to Aizen as the man led him through several more hallways and to a sealed and guarded door. The guards parted and Aizen opened the door and led Tetsuya inside.

Tetsuya paused inside the room as Aizen closed the door and stepped away from him. He remained by the door, examining the room's comfortable furnishings and warm, earthen colors.

"I am to stay...here?" Tetsuya asked.

Aizen returned and handed him a cup of tea, then motioned for Tetsuya to get into the large, soft bed.

"You will stay with me, yes," Aizen answered, "At least until I figure out who you are and find a place to put you where you won't be mauled by any more dogs."

"Just you?" the young man queried softly.

"Why Tetsuya, you insult me," Aizen said reprovingly, "You think I am a rapist? Perish the thought."

He leaned closer to the young man and whispered in his ear.

"Seduction is much more enjoyable, for everyone involved."

"I thought that Gin-san said that I have a restrictive kido on me," Tetsuya reminded him.

"Yes," agreed Aizen, silkenly, "But then...if conquest is too easy, it isn't nearly so fulfilling."

A blush rose on Tetsuya's cheeks and he turned his head away.

"So...when you said that you might find a use for me..._that_ is what you were talking about?" Tetsuya asked softly.

"Actually, no," Aizen answered, sipping at his tea, "Most shinigamis I capture are useful, either as sources of information or as hostages to exchange for something of value. You are an exception. You have no useful information...not that you can remember, at least. And although I postulate from your appearance that you must be a member of Byakuya's family, there is no saying that you are or are not a member of importance in the family. The signs of your incarceration would have indicated a usefulness for spy activities or other subversive things of that nature...but you were not a criminal. I am still thinking about how you may serve me."

"You wouldn't consider simply letting me go," Tetsuya suggested.

"But we have already discussed that," Aizen countered, "You cannot survive the desert, and if you were escaping that prison related to the inscriptions on your body, you would only be captured and incarcerated."

"So," concluded Tetsuya, "you are 'doing me a favor' by imprisoning me here and planning to seduce me?"

"I look at it that way, yes," affirmed Aizen, "This room really is the safest place for you right now."

Tetsuya sighed softly and set his tea on the nightstand, then slipped under the covers and laid down.

"No one enters this room but my attendants and me, so you will be perfectly safe. Rest. I will have food brought for you. We can talk about how you will serve me later, once you have healed completely from your injuries. The markings may be gone, but it will be a few days before your reiatsu is at full strength and the residual pain eases. If you need anything, the button beside the bed will summon the attendant I am assigning to you. I have some duties to attend to, but I will return later."

Tetsuya watched quietly as Aizen left the room, then slipped out of bed and took a more leisurely look around the room. He found the room carefully sealed so that entry by others was unlikely, but he noticed that the seals on the room were meant to keep others out, rather than to keep him in.

_So...escape is not out of the question._

He searched the room carefully, but found no sharp implements save the green hilted zanpakutou that was locked into the sword stand near the bed.

_It simply doesn't look probable._

He moved to the large bay window and climbed into the large window seat that was more like another small bed by the window. The tower they were in being at the edge of the lit area of the fortress, looked out into darkness, and had a lovely view of the nighttime sky. He laid down in the window seat, looking out the window as he drifted off. Once, he saw a dark shadow and heard an odd whisper inside his mind. But he imagined it was his imagination and let it pass from his thoughts as he settled down to sleep.

Aizen returned several hours later to find the young man asleep in the window seat, with light from the moon shining down on him, making his body glow softly.

"Beautiful," he said, watching him sleep for several minutes before turning to prepare himself for bed.

He walked into the bathroom and slipped into his nightclothes, then returned to the bedroom and started to climb into the bed. He paused and picked up an extra blanket from the end of the bed, then draped it carefully over the shinigami's sleeping form. As he did, Tetusya's eyes opened and looked up at him questioningly.

"Good night, Tetsuya," he said, turning towards his bed.

Tetsuya's eyes followed him across the room. Aizen laid down and turned onto his side, then noticed the young man still watching him.

"What is it?" he asked sleepily, "Is something wrong?"

"No," said Tetsuya, "I just thought that..."

Aizen's smirk stopped him mid-sentence.

"I told you. Seduction is more amusing. Take your time getting comfortable with me. If you sleep better there than in my bed, you are welcome to sleep over there."

"I saw something outside before."

"Oh?"

"It looked like a horse."

"Perhaps it was one of the hollow horses. We see them here from time to time. Pay it no mind."

"Do the hollows here sometimes speak into your mind, Aizen-sama?"

"Did you hear a voice?" Aizen asked, sitting up and frowning.

"Maybe," answered Tetsuya, "I don't know. I did hear something though."

"Pay it no mind. You are perfectly safe here," Aizen said, lying down and closing his eyes.

"How can you sleep with a stranger in the room, Aizen-sama? Do you not concern yourself with what I might do while you are sleeping?"

Aizen laughed softly.

"I assure you that if you had any intention of harming me, you could not accomplish it. And if you want to crawl into my bed and molest me, I won't mind."

Tetsuya was glad for the darkness that hid the blush the man's words brought to his face.

"I think I will remain over here, for now."

"As you will, Tetsuya," Aizen said, his smirk deepening, "Good night."

"Good night, Aizen-sama."


	2. Lost Heart

**Chapter 2: Lost Heart**

Tetsuya flinched inwardly, his breath catching in his sleep, as a powerful vision rose up in his anxious mind. And oddly, as though a pathway had opened between the two, the images playing out in Kuchiki Tetsuya's head revealed themselves to the mind of the man sleeping in the bed nearby.

_Tetsuya stood alone on a small rise surrounded in creeping mist, his eyes on the full moon that shined brightly above the heavy fog bank. He thought he might have heard the soft scrape of a footstep behind him, and listened intently for a moment. Hearing nothing more, he turned his eyes once again to the radiant moon. He watched as wisps of cloud meandered about above him in the night sky. Clothed in a fine formal kimono and cloaked, his body was warm. There was though, he found, a slight chill on the inside._

_"I have felt this several times today," he whispered, "This strange feeling like eyes watching from the shadows. I wonder..."_

_He was distracted out of his thoughts by the arrival of a hell butterfly, and he nodded to the insect to give its message._

_But before the message could begin, a sudden flash of bright light in front of him blinded him. He heard the hiss of a flash step and tried to flash step away from it, but only found himself captured in wickedly strong arms and held tightly. A cloaked man appeared in front of him and snapped a silver band around his wrist, sealing away his powers. An adept fighter, he moved instantly to break free of the one holding him, but the man sent a wicked jolt of kido through his restrained body, weakening his knees and making his head spin and the area around him darken ominously. He heard a few last words, hissed into his ear as he fell._

_"Poor bastard. Someone really wants you dead."_

_He didn't expect to wake again, so was surprised when sensation began to return. He opened his eyes and was soundly shocked to find himself being carried across the unmistakable desert of Hueco Mundo, in the arms of what he sensed was a powerful hollow. He heard the snarl of a feral hollow dog, and heard the hollow that was carrying him mutter a curse. Tetsuya began to struggle, and as the hollow was forced to attend to him, the hollow dog attacked, swiftly firing itself at the hollow's throat and killing him almost before Tetsuya's body dropped from the thing's nerveless hands. _

_He ran then, deprived of even his flash step and desperately trying to reach the lighted area ahead of him. But as in the worst of nightmares, Tetsuya's feet couldn't move fast enough. Something struck him just short of the light, and sharp teeth began tearing at his skin..._

Tetsuya came awake suddenly, and sat up, screaming in pain and fury. His skin still felt the searing burn of the hollow dog's bites and slashes, and at first, his eyes refused to register where he was. He lost all certainty that he hadn't returned to that place in the desert, where his life had nearly ended the night before. He felt someone's arms around him and screamed again, tearing at them desperately, as a warm, commanding voice sounded in his ear, and a heavy throb of kido sent him back into senselessness.

He drifted in and out of consciousness for a time, a feeling like fire on his skin. Several times, he felt the cool, gentle hands of the one he was sure must be Aizen's healer, touching his face as the old man's soothing voice whispered encouragement and soft pulses of the man's healing power flowed through Tetsuya's limp body. He rose up out of sleep some time later, to find himself dressed in a fresh yukata and bundled comfortably into Aizen's bed. Aizen's cool, dispassionate eyes gazed down into his, and the gentle fingers that touched his face sent him off to sleep with a soft admonishment to rest.

Even as he slept then, he felt Aizen's presence, sometimes arriving to question the healer or the quiet attendant who never seemed to leave him, except when Aizen himself returned to the room and settled down next to Tetsuya to sleep. And Tetsuya marveled even in his distant state, how the man could sleep comfortably, although in the presence of a perfect stranger...and a young man who didn't even know himself, if he was a safe person.

He thought again about the dream he had had...about being dressed in an expensive kimono and looking up at the moon.

_It seemed in that vision, as though I held a position of some status and importance,_ Tetsuya mused, _But then, I am marked on my body as a prisoner. Itamigiri...honorable pain. How can both of these things be true? And who was it who attacked me? Who gave me to that hollow? Is all of that what really happened to me out there in the desert?_

"Ah, you finally appear to be lucid again," said Aizen's calm, smooth voice, making Tetsuya blink to clear the sight that went with the voice, "I am glad to see this, as I wasn't sure that you were going to remain with those of us still living, Tetsuya."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Tetsuya said, his voice shaking slightly, "What happened to me?"

Not many attacked by the hollow dogs are lucky enough to survive the attack," Aizen explained, "but those who do can suffer from a reaction between their reiatsu and that of the hollow dog. When that happens, if quick measures are not taken, the infected being will experience physical discomforts like pain, fever, sweating, nausea and losses of consciousness. Left untreated, the toxin attacks and erodes first the stability of the mind, then it changes the very nature of the body. The infected will, in short, go mad, then die and hollowfy."

"H-hollowfy," Tetsuya managed, his face paling.

"Yes," said Aizen, "But do not worry. My personal healer attended you carefully during your illness, and he was able to isolate and slowly eradicate the invasive reiatsu. You were unconscious and in the throes of horrid nightmares for several nights, but you finally seem to have improved today. I am glad. You have me intrigued and it would have been a shame to have lost you before making myself better acquainted with you."

"Why do I feel that your words have several meanings?" mused the younger man.

Aizen's lips twitched slightly in amusement.

"Because you are an intelligent young man, Tetsuya," he answered, "As innocent as you are in body, your heart is far wiser than should be for one so young. I can only conclude that it is the influence of the events surrounding your incarceration that opened your eyes to the more complex nature of people."

"You mean that I have learned to place my trust more selectively?"

Aizen took a soft breath.

"You show great courage, beginning to loose yourself from the need to 'trust' or 'have faith' in others, Tetsuya. Not everyone has the strength or conviction to do that."

"I am not convinced that I would," replied Tetsuya, frowning, "I do not know, of course, but I think that perhaps my incarceration merely made me more fearful of trusting. But even then, I think I must have been close to _someone_."

"But if you were, then why are you still virginal?" Aizen asked, smirking.

"You seem very interested in my innocence of body," Tetsuya said, blushing, "And do not think that I do not understand that you fully intend to deprive me of it. Though what trick or deception you will use is, as of yet unclear to me, you were clear enough in what you said when you imprisoned me here."

"When I _imprisoned_ you?" Aizen queried, looking amused, "Why Tetsuya, I told you before, it would not have done to have simply let you go. You couldn't have survived to reach the Seireitei or living world, and in fact, cannot reach those places on your own. You were badly injured and needed medical care and rest."

"Which you have decided I must receive here, in your room, and in your bed," Tetsuya mused.

"Yes, well, I am sure that in your first moments alone, you concluded that I was not lying when I told you that my bedroom is really the safest place for you in all of Hueco Mundo. There are many dangers here that I can protect you from."

"How kind of you," Tetsuya said skeptically, "as long as I do not mind having you manipulate me into giving myself to you."

Aizen sighed.

"What makes you so sure that I will deceive you?" he asked, shaking his head, "I have been open with you about my intentions and although I admit that I will make advances, I have already said that I prefer seduction to force. And I have no plans to hide anything as that seduction commences. In fact, let us take that first step, Tetsuya."

Tetsuya gave him a dark look.

"I told you that I am not stupid," he said, an edge of anger in his voice, "This seduction began as soon as I was lucid. Every word you have said to me, every bit of our interaction has been a part of this intricate game you play with me. But as much as you will perhaps possess my body in the end, you will never possess the part of me that is far more worth having. But then, engaging one's heart is a terribly dangerous thing, is it not, Aizen Sousuke? And all of your talk about trust being a thing that only weak people do? Is it really not to hide your own fear of letting someone close to you?"

Tetsuya went still and silent as Aizen turned so that he laid partially on top of the younger man, took firm but gentle hold of his wrists and held them down, then brought his lips close to Tetsuya's blushing earlobe.

"You should be more careful in the things that you say, Tetsuya," he said in a chillingly calm tone, but one that somehow still conveyed in no uncertain terms that the younger man had overstepped a boundary.

Tetsuya stared up into Aizen's still serene expression, quivering inside at the glint of dangerous malevolence in the man's narrowed eyes.

"First of all, I clearly remember informing you that I am to be called Aizen-sama. Secondly, when I spoke to you of seduction, I wasn't simply speaking of convincing you to part willingly with your virginity. As protected as you think it is? Your heart is already dangerously close to falling. Third, I do not fear anything, least of all someone opening the doorway to my heart, because that slammed shut years ago. And finally...going back to the seduction? It did not need to wait until you woke, Tetsuya," Aizen breathed hotly into his ear, "The seduction began the moment that you fell at my feet."

Tetsuya opened his mouth to speak and instantly found it claimed by one that was hot, commanding and decidedly wanton. Aizen's tongue thrust in between Tetsuya's parted lips, snaking along his, curling around it and sliding up and down, before thrusting in deeper. Tetsuya groaned in protest, his body twisting to try to free itself, but only trapped more firmly as Aizen's hips pressed down, and he felt the heat and pressure of the other man's hardness through their clothes. He felt a sudden strange flicker inside his belly somewhere, then gasped as a shock of blinding pain ripped through his body, sending him crashing back into blackness.

Aizen stared in surprise and quickly summoned a healer. A few moments later, the healer who had seen Tetsuya through his illness returned to the room.

"What is it, Aizen-sama?" the man asked, "Has Tetsuya-san had a relapse?"

"I am not sure," replied Aizen, leaning over the unconscious shinigami and touching his face gently, "He seemed to be much better, but then suddenly he made a sound as though he was in horrible pain and he passed out."

"And what was he doing at the time when he lost consciousness?" the healer asked.

Aizen smirked.

"I was kissing him," he answered sedately.

"You were...?" the healer began, "Aizen-sama, did Gin-san not tell you that this man was fitted with a device to control his sexual behavior?"

"Hmmm," said Aizen, "he did say that there was a device that protected Tetsuya's virginity, but he did not say how it worked, of that it would harm Tetsuya if I kissed him."

"Ah," said the healer, "The technology is complicated, especially considering that it was placed some time ago. We haven't been able to work out exactly how to neutralize and remove it."

"You can't just shatter it, as you would a seal?" asked Aizen, "Gin should have had the power to do that."

"Normally, I would agree," said the healer, "and Gin-san was set to try that. But, I noticed protections on this device. It is bonded with Tetsuya-san's core spirit center and removal will be extremely tricky. I am not saying that it is impossible, but it is much more involved than merely shattering a seal."

"I see," said Aizen, shaking his head and smiling down at Tetsuya, "So, it seems my plans for him are on hold until this is seen to."

He slid out of the bed and began to dress as the healer gently infused Tetsuya's body with healing reiatsu, then slowly brought him awake. Tetsuya's eyes opened and blinked several times, before coming to rest on the old healer.

"Are...are you the one who saw me through my illness before?" he asked softly.

"Why, yes...yes, I did heal you," said the old man, "My name is Sato Michio. I am Aizen-sama's personal healer."

"I see," said Tetsuya, "Well, thank you. I am grateful to you for healing me."

"Oh, Tetsuya-san, I was just doing my job. It was no trouble."

"Perhaps not," said the young man, "but I am only still alive and breathing because of your intercession."

"All's well that ends well, young master," said the healer affably, "Now then, you had a bit of a shock to your spirit centers. It seems that your former jailors fitted you with a fairly complex device that incapacitated you when Aizen-sama attempted to kiss you."

"Ah," said Tetsuya, sitting up straighter and brushing several strands of wavy black hair away from his eyes, "I wonder if I should be furious with them, or thankful in that it seems to have protected my virtue."

"Is it such a horrid thing to imagine?" Aizen said, sliding Kyoka Suigetsu into the belt at his waist, "I assure you, I am a very adept lover, Tetsuya. I am sure that when we dispense with that device, you will not be disappointed."

Aizen's lips curved into a wicked smirk.

"You may, however, still be unconscious in the end."

"Ugh," sighed the noble, rolling his eyes as Aizen returned to his bedside and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Now then," said Aizen, "Your attendant will be about soon to see to your needs. And if you wish, you may have him take you on a walk to stretch your legs. After all, I am sure you do not wish to be cooped up in this room for the rest of the time we are here."

"I thought that you said that it was the safest place for me here," said Tetsuya, frowning.

"You will be safe enough as long as you are attended," Aizen assured him, "Just, do not stray, Tetsuya. The hollows, I will warn you right now, will not hesitate to kill you if you do."

"I will keep that in mind," Tetsuya said, looking down at himself for a moment.

"Is something wrong?" Aizen asked.

"Well," said the younger man, "I was wondering if you might have something other than this yukata for me to wear."

"Yes," said Aizen, regaining his smirk, "I imagine it would be inappropriate, and too much temptation for the hollows around here, seeing you in that luscious yukata. Your attendant will provide something for you. You can save that lovely yukata for me."

He laughed softly at the flush that returned to Tetsuya's face and throat, and left the room. The healer concluded his examination and exited a few minute later, leaving Tetsuya alone. He slipped out of bed, returning to the window seat to again look out into the darkness. As he gazed up at the moon, he caught sight of something moving in the distance, and caught his breath softly.

A short distance away, a tall black stallion stood on a small rise, looking in Tetsuya's direction through eyes that reflected a lovely blue hue, much like his own.

"That is not a hollow," he mused, looking more closely.

The beast met his eyes again, and Tetsuya again heard something odd buzzing in his mind, just beyond his ability to register. He shook his head and sighed in frustration.

"What does this mean?" he whispered, "Whose are you? And why are you here?"

He was distracted for a moment as the bedroom door opened and a young male hollow stepped into the room. Tetsuya couldn't help but wonder at the youth's long, wavy and wild white hair, pretty silver eyes and kind, boyish face.

"Tetsuya-san," said the youth, "I am Miki. Aizen-sama has ordered me to attend you."

He set down the tray of tea and snacks that he had brought, then surprised Tetsuya by sitting down in the window seat and pouring tea for both of them.

"What were you looking at?" he asked, sipping at the tea as Tetsuya did the same, "Was there something outside?"

"I saw a stallion," said Tetsuya, "It was all black."

"A hollow horse?" asked the attendant, tilting his head curiously.

"No," said Tetsuya, "This was a real horse."

"Odd," said Miki, "I have never heard of one coming here before."

"Never?" asked Tetsuya.

"Never," the hollow said, shaking his head.

His eyes followed Tetsuya's and he smiled.

"Ah, you were teasing me," he laughed, "There is nothing there, Tetsuya-san!"

"But..." Tetsuya said, blinking, then realizing that the youth was right.

"It is all right," Miki said, bracingly, "Tetsuya-san has been very ill. It must have just been an odd reflection. Pay it no mind, young master. Come now. You should eat. Perhaps your malnourishment is causing you to hallucinate."

"But, I didn't..." Tetsuya began.

"I was joking, Tetsuya-san, but still, you should eat."

Tetsuya turned to look out the window one more time, but found, once again that the stallion was gone.

_Maybe I am seeing things, _he mused, _seeing things and hearing things...not good._

Sighing softly in resignation, he turned away from the window and joined Miki in indulging in the snacks that the hollow attendant had brought.


	3. Nowhere to Run

**Chapter 3: Nowhere to Run**

"There you are, Tetsuya-san," said Miki, smiling at his reflection in the mirror, "Now, you fit right in with the rest of us."

Tetsuya gazed quietly at the handsomely crafted, white Arrancar uniform, blushing at how it seemed to capture and accentuate every line and curve of his body. It seemed oddly as though it had been crafted specifically for him.

"Miki, I don't understand. This fits as though made for me."

The hollow youth nodded.

"It was."

"But...when?"

"I believe I heard Aizen-sama order it made the night that you were rescued from the hollow dogs."

"The night that...but that means...he meant to keep me here from the very first moment?" Tetsuya asked, frowning, "Before he knew anything about me? Why?"

"You will have to ask him," answered Miki, adjusting the tie at Tetsuya's waist, then straightening, "Our leader is not the most forthcoming about his thinking. And even if he does offer words, they often carry multiple meanings. It is dangerous to assume anything with him. But still, you would be best off asking him why."

"Hmmm," muttered Tetsuya, "I don't know that it would be worth the effort."

"Then, perhaps keeping your eyes and ears open would be the best thing for you to do. I learn a lot that way."

"I am sure," Tetsuya agreed.

He followed as Miki stepped away and headed for the bedroom door.

"Where are we going?" he asked curiously.

"Well, you need exercise, ne?" Miki asked, "Something to keep you occupied?"

"I suppose," Tetsuya answered.

"I thought that I would first show you around this tower, then you could decide what you would like to do...swordplay, reading and studies, games of some kind or exploring."

"Very well," Tetsuya said, falling in with him.

Tetsuya listened quietly as Miki led him down several corridors, explaining the layout of the tower and grounds.

"You know where Aizen-sama's bedroom is already," the hollow said, smirking at the blush it brought to Tetsuya's face and throat, "These hallways contain all of the bedrooms of ranking hollows, as well as the section for the few shinigamis. Only a few trusted servants are allowed to enter that area. At the intersection of the hallways, we'll turn left to go towards the training grounds, bathing chamber and gardens."

"Gardens in Hueco Mundo?" queried Tetsuya, "How is that?"

"Ah, Aizen-sama has enchanted the plants to respond as though the sun was present in the chamber. It is a lovely place where you can bathe under warm waterfalls, or walk along the trails. Only high ranking officers and servants with special clearances are allowed there."

"And yet I will be allowed to go there?" Tetsuya asked, "Miki, do you not see the paradox in that? I am a complete stranger to Aizen-sama, and yet..."

"Tetsuya-san, obviously he saw something useful in treating you this way or he would not be doing this. Do you have some special power?"

"I...I do not even know!" Tetsuya said in an exasperated tone, "I do not remember anything about who I am, where I came from or any of my powers. How could I be useful to him?"

"I am not sure," admitted the hollow, "but I wouldn't worry about it too much. I am sure that whatever Aizen-sama wants from you, he will explain when the time comes."

"Yes," Tetsuya sighed, "I am sure that he will."

Tetsuya fell silent again, following and making note of the placement of entries and exits, guard posts and areas he was and was not allowed to venture into. He wasn't sure how the information would help him, given that he had no way to escape Hueco Mundo and nowhere to go in either Soul Society or the living world even if he did escape. Still, he was certain that, at some point, an opportunity would open up and he would need to be ready.

Miki stopped at the doorway to the training grounds and Tetsuya admired the large open spaces, varied terrains and weapons available for fighting practice.

_I do not even know if I am a capable fighter, _Tetsuya mused, _And even if I was a good fighter, one of my enemies was better, and more ruthless..._

"We will not be training today?" Tetsuya asked.

"You barely regained consciousness, Tetsuya-san!" laughed Miki, "I don't want to wear you out. We can train tomorrow. We'll just focus on settling in today, ne?"

"Very well," Tetsuya agreed, feeling a smile of his own in response to the youthful hollow's friendliness.

"Come, I will show you the bathing area and gardens."

They walked to the end of the hallway that held the training area and passed through a reiatsu barrier. Tetsuya paused, just inside the chamber, staring at the interior that looked such a huge departure from the blandness of the rest of the fortress and surrounding desert.

"Miki-san!" he breathed, a sudden memory flickering in his mind as he took in the lovely sandstone walkways that meandered through a variety of trees, plants, manicured bushes, rows of flowers and sweeping expanses of grass.

_I have been in beautiful gardens like this somewhere before..._

"Tetsuya-san? Are you all right?" Miki asked.

"Oh, yes, I am fine."

In the midst of all of the gardens was a large, dark-bottomed bathing pool, boasting a number of soaking areas and several splashing waterfalls. Miki led Tetsuya to the edge of the pool, where they stopped as Aizen's voice reached them from where he stood, naked beneath one of the waterfalls.

"Ah, Tetsuya, I was hoping that I would see you. Come, we can talk while you bathe."

"Ah..." Tetsuya began, sighing resignedly and going silent as Miki began to undress him.

_I think that soon nothing will make me blush. This man is relentless. I am sure that he planned this..._

The hollow removed Tetsuya's clothes, then started to undress himself.

"It is all right," Aizen said, shaking his head, "I will see to Tetsuya. You may go."

"Hai," Miki said, bowing, "I will see you after your bath, Tetsuya-san."

"Arigato," Tetsuya said solemnly, "I appreciate you showing me around."

"Ah, it was no trouble, sir. I enjoyed your company."

Tetsuya watched as his attendant left, then turned back to face Aizen. The leader of the hollows had turned away from him, exposing his bare, muscular back and arms and shapely bottom. The younger man bit his lips gently and waded out into the water, glad for its depth and the slight disruption that obscured the details of their exposed genitalia as he approached Aizen.

"Tetsuya," Aizen said, acknowledging him quietly.

"Aizen-sama," Tetsuya answered in greeting, taking a place under the waterfall next to the one the former taicho occupied.

"I trust that Miki was pleasant company for you?"

"Yes, thank you," Tetsuya answered, turning slightly away as he began to bathe himself.

He caught his breath in surprise a moment later as the soap was taken from his hand and Aizen moved in close to him and began to rub it onto his back and shoulders.

"You needn't do that," he said, trying to take the soap back.

"Oh, it is my pleasure," Aizen said, smirking, "I suppose that this would be acceptable to the protections on you as far as touching is concerned. And it will allow you to become more comfortable with me touching you."

"Hmmm," sighed Tetsuya, "though I fail to understand your obsession with that."

"Do you?" Aizen asked, sounding amused.

"Yes, I do not understand many of the things that you do, when it comes to me. You house me in your room and have me bathe and sleep with you, when I am a complete stranger to you. You allow me into places where only the most privileged officers and trusted servants go, when I fall into none of those categories. You say that you do this because you plan to shatter the bonds on me and deprive me of my innocence, but that is far too simple a reason for you to go so far. There is some other reason you are doing this. I don't dream that you will tell me why, but I admit that I am curious."

"Why do you think that I would not tell you?" Aizen asked, sliding his hands slowly over Tetsuya's back, then onto his partially submerged bottom.

"Then, you will?"

"Of course. I sensed immediately that there was something unusual about you, Tetsuya. I am not certain what it was exactly, but I had a very strong sense that you were someone of significance. And when Gin found the markings that were placed on you in the prison, that feeling became stronger. Gin is still trying to locate records on the secret noble prisons, but it is taking additional time, because the noble families guard the information quite carefully. But we will find what we are looking for, and I will discover just who you are and how you fit into the noble families."

Tetsuya's eyes darkened.

"You mean to use me as a hostage? A bargaining chip?" he asked, frowning.

"Does that bother you?" Aizen asked, "I am not mistreating you, and I have no intention to do so."

"Why don't I find that very reassuring?" Tetsuya asked dryly, coaxing a warmer smile from the leader of the hollows.

"You are not a trusting person," Aizen acknowledged, "You have been hurt and imprisoned. And even though you do not remember it consciously, you are still affected by what happened to you."

Tetsuya felt an odd, unsettling jolt inside and winced.

"Are you all right?" Aizen asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"I don't know. I..."

He went silent as a dark and fireshot memory gripped his mind.

_"Get out here, you lazy roach!" a rough voice snapped._

_"He is ill. I will go instead...please."_

_"Get out of the way you little piece of trash!"_

_Pain flashed in his body as the guard struck him, knocking him to the floor._

_"Tetsuya-san!"_

"Tetsuya?"

"I am sorry," the younger man said, laying a hand on his abdomen, "I think I saw a flash of something...guards...someone was ill. I was punished for some reason."

"Don't push yourself too hard," Aizen said, sliding his arms around Tetsuya from behind and resting his head on the younger man's shoulder.

Tetsuya's eyes closed and a soft shiver went through him.

_He isn't touching anywhere that would set off the protections, but...his hands! Where he touches me, the skin feels so warm...so..._

"Everything will come back to you in its own time."

Aizen's breath tickled the skin along the side of Tetsuya's flushed throat and teased a pink earlobe, making his heart race so fast that his knees weakened.

_What is he...?_

As though of its own accord, Tetsuya's head turned suddenly and his widened eyes locked on Aizen's dangerously beautiful brown ones. The younger man took a shaky breath and tried to step back, but found himself pressed up against a rock wall with Aizen's body positioned so as not to offer him any escape.

"You are trembling," Aizen's voice said in a seductive purr.

"You are a dangerous man, Aizen-sama," Tetsuya answered, just managing to keep his voice from shaking, "Who would not be anxious in your presence? Especially being cornered by you like this. Do you do this to every stray shinigami you find wandering in the desert?"

Aizen's smile warmed.

"Just the ones that I think will be useful to me," he answered, bringing his lips close to Tetsuya's.

"Stop..."

"Are you afraid of the pain?" Aizen asked softly, "Or do you fear being rendered helpless in my arms?"

"Aizen-sama..."

"You needn't fear either," Aizen said silkenly, caressing Tetsuya's soft cheek with firm, demanding fingertips, "I won't hurt you, and I will not take you against your will."

Tetsuya swayed unsteadily as the other man suddenly stepped back and the reiatsu around them settled. Across the room, Miki appeared at the edge of the pool.

"I am sorry, but we will have to continue this _stimulating_ dialogue later, Tetsuya. I have a meeting to attend, but I will have dinner with you in our quarters afterward."

Tetsuya didn't answer, but fled the pool, his skin flushing all over, even as he exited the water and the cooler air touched him.

"Are you all right, Tetsuya-san? You look overheated," Miki commented, smirking, "Perhaps I should put your afternoon tea on ice, then, to cool you?"

Tetsuya ignored him and fled the bathing room, swallowing hard and trying to calm the still harsh beating of his heart.

_That man is really getting to me. I cannot let this go on. But what do I do?_

He continued to wonder as he and Miki walked back to Aizen's bedroom, the latter chattering cheerfully and not seeming to notice Tetsuya's reverie. He let off to make Tetsuya's tea, then excused himself and left the noble gazing quietly out the bay window.

_I need to get out of this place...but how? And if I do escape, where will I go?_

He went still and breathless as outside his window, the lovely black Arabian stallion he had seen, appeared again and walked towards the place where he sat. He stopped just short of the window, looking into Tetsuya's widened eyes as the odd buzzing rose in the shinigami's mind again. Tetsuya flinched and gasped as a soft, wispy voice spoke inside his head.

_Master._

"What?" Tetsuya exclaimed, coming to his feet.

_Come to me. I will make a waterform so that you can escape._

He had no idea what a waterform was, but he watched in silence as the stallion's reiatsu rose, and very slowly, a large, bulbous swirl of nearly invisible water formed over the horse's back.

_Focus on the waterform, _the stallion instructed him.

Tetsuya's eyes narrowed, and started to blur as he focused intently on the blob of water. His eyes closed involuntarily as the stallion's reiatsu flared, and Tetsuya felt the air go dim around him. One moment, he was standing in Aizen's bedroom, looking out at the horse, and the next, he was falling haphazardly onto the horse's back. The stallion turned away from the fortress and broke into a gallop, moving into flash steps as fortress alarms began to sound around them. Tetsuya lowered himself against the stallion's back, gazing into the darkness ahead of them.

"Thank you, friend," Tetsuya said, patting the horse's neck, "I do not know who you are, but I am grateful."

_Master, what is wrong with you? It is me...your Arashi. Do you not know me? Is this why you did not hear me before?_

Tetsuya started to answer, but gasped as he felt Aizen Sousuke's presence rise up somewhere behind them.

"Can you get us out of Hueco Mundo?" he asked quickly, "Hurry! If he spots us, he will..."

Tetsuya sensed a sharp thickening of the reiatsu around them and felt that _something_ was happening, although he wasn't sure what it was. His eyes rounded as Aizen Sousuke appeared very suddenly in Arashi's path and the stallion slid to a stop, his strong body tensing. Tetsuya froze, staring into the other man's eyes, and he felt Arashi quiver beneath him and start to collapse. He would have fallen with the horse, but was swept off of Arashi's back and swiftly incapacitated. Aizen let the young man's body drop onto the sand beside the stallion's, then he stood over them, gazing down at them curiously.

"What is this?" he asked, looking from one to the other and back again, "This is very strange."

His eyes bored into Tetsuya's until the younger shinigami felt himself begin to lose consciousness. Arashi too, was left senseless at Aizen Sousuke's feet.

"Very interesting," Aizen mused, "And unexpected. But it bears out what I thought from the beginning. There is something quite peculiar about this shinigami. His reiatsu and this stallion's...are identical."


	4. The Bond

**Chapter 4: The Bond**

Byakuya stood silently in the underground training room beneath Urahara Kisuke's shop, gazing silently at the place where the shopkeeper planned to open the senkaimon the next day. He turned the recent events over in his mind, and he was, of course, concerned for his sister and the others who had gone ahead to attempt to rescue the human girl from Aizen's clutches.

But there was also the other news that had come from home.

_Tetsuya is missing._

_He was last seen going out on night duty, and I had only just left him after we made plans for how to defend the clan, should Aizen bring the war to the Seireitei. Gone without a trace, and Arashi too, missing. I know that he would never just leave, not at a time like this. _

_No._

_I fear that someone has taken advantage of my absence to make some kind of move against him. I knew there were those within the family who did not approve of him, especially of him having a position so close to me. But…I did not expect them to take advantage at a time when it could have such consequences._

_Tetsuya, I want to go and look for you. I would leave right now and search high and low. But the fates of the clans hang in the balance with a monster like Aizen pursuing the crown. He's made no secret of his plans to destroy and replace the king, so we must focus on not letting that happen._

_I know my duty, but still, my heart aches for you._

_I am sorry, my cousin._

"What's got you lookin' into space like that?" a rough male voice said suddenly, cutting into the noble's thoughts, "You're worried about Rukia? Renji?"

Byakuya let out an annoyed breath as the taicho of the eleventh division approached him.

"Rukia can handle herself," Byakuya said with less than perfect confidence, and Renji is also capable."

"Then, what's got yer panties in a bunch, princess?"

"Do not dare call me that!" Byakuya snapped softly, "And I am simply contemplating."

"You're worried about something? Aizen? Don't worry, I've got this. I don't really even need the rest of you. I'm going for Aizen's goddamned throat, and if I happen to mow down a hundred or so of his minions on the way, even better."

"Ridiculous," Byakuya huffed.

"Says who?" Zarai chuckled.

He studied Byakuya's porcelain features for a moment.

"Really, what's eating you?" he asked more quietly.

Byakuya considered the question briefly, then loosed an unhappy sigh.

"I received word from home that Tetsuya and Arashi have gone missing."

"Tetsuya?" Zaraki mused, "The little cupcake who's usually following you everywhere?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't sound like him."

"No. I gave Tetsuya instructions to monitor the situation at home and to prepare for evacuation if the family is threatened."

"Huh…well," the bigger man grunted, "then I guess we'll just have to make sure that the bastard Aizen doesn't threaten your family. I can kill for that."

"And any other reason that you can come up with."

Zaraki gave him a crooked grin.

"Yeah, probably."

He shook his head at Byakuya's continued melancholy.

"Tell you what," he said bracingly, "after I trash Aizen's ass, I'll help you find your pretty cousin, okay?"

"Kenpachi?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Nice."

XXXXXXXXXX

Blackness enveloped Tetsuya as he rested, suspended just beneath consciousness, and unaware of the bonds that held him firmly in place, the monitors that analyzed his and Arashi's reiatsu, brain waves and vital signs, and the men who examining everything, trying to come to their conclusions about him.

"You were right, Sousuke," Gin reported, "His reiatsu matches perfectly that of the stallion. And I am reading a balance in their physical states, suggesting that damage to one would affect the other."

"Fascinating," remarked Aizen, gazing down appreciatively at Tetsuya's sleeping face, "I was convinced that there was something very different about him."

"Is this what you were expecting then?" asked Gin.

Aizen's eyes caressed the unconscious shinigami's resting form for a moment and his bit his lip gently.

"I didn't know what, exactly to expect. But, the feeling that I got when first encountering him was akin to that of Kurosaki Ichigo. And you saw how powerful that young Ryoka turned out to be."

"Yes," agreed Gin, grinning in amusement, "He was quite a lot of fun, ne?"

"A phenomenon like this does not occur out of the blue," Aizen posited, "There is a reason, or perhaps there are several reasons that Tetsuya's soul emanates as two beings. It suggests that either there was some kind of damage done to him at some point that required it, or then again, it could mean that he possesses some power that requires the two bodies to achieve."

"I think that the latter would be more useful, ne?"

"I agree," said Aizen, "But whether Tetsuya is an uncharted power for us to discover, or he harbors some other secret, he is certainly unique and bears further exploration."

"More studies?" queried Gin, shaking his head, "I have run every test and analysis I can think of."

"I was thinking of having Szayel Aporro take a look at him."

"Hmmm," mused Gin, "He might offer some interesting insights, of course, but I rather thought that you _liked_ this young man, Sousuke. You have certainly been giving him the royal treatment up until now. Are you sure that you want to put him in that man's twisted hands? You might not get him back all in one piece, you know."

"There is some risk, involving him, of course," said Aizen, "However, I think that I can convince our hollow scientist to handle Tetsuya with unusual care."

He paused for a moment, looking back into Gin's eyes meaningfully.

"And," he added, "as much as Tetsuya is a pleasant diversion and an object of interest, he disobeyed me by trying to escape. It suggests that he needs to understand the privilege he is currently enjoying and the cost of choosing to cross me."

"Oh," said Gin, smirking, "He _riled_ you, trying to take off like that, did he? Did you think that you had him charmed completely? He is such a seemingly naive young thing, isn't he? Or...is he? But I think he is about to receive a rude awakening. Are you sure you want to do this? It seemed the two of you were getting along so winningly. It would be a shame if he learned to hate you now, wouldn't it?"

"Hmmm," Aizen mused, studying Tetsuya's lovely sleeping face for a moment, "I don't know that he's capable of it. I suppose that we'll find out. Send for Szayel Aporro and inform me when he arrives..._before_ he begins his examination of Tetsuya."

"Of course, Sousuke," Gin said, smirking and shaking his head in amusement as Aizen left the room.

"Ah, finally alone," Gin chuckled softly, leaning over Tetsuya and continuing the examination, "You are a lovely thing, aren't you? It seems a shame to leave you in either of those men's hands. Unfortunately, I can't afford to help you too much or I might compromise myself. But I will remain here as long as that mad scientist is with you. Mostly, I don't bother with the fates of those around Aizen Sousuke, but you pull on the heartstrings a bit with your gentler aura and wide-eyed innocence. Call me sentimental, but I get the feeling that Szayel Aporro will not be the first wicked man to lay hands on you. Just relax and sleep for a while. You will be back in Sousuke's bed and fending off his advances in no time."

He sighed softly.

"He does have good taste, though. You are very beautiful, Tetsuya."

XXXXXXXXXX

Even as deeply asleep as he was, Tetsuya felt the chill touch of hollow reiatsu brushing against his and he stirred and moaned in protest. Szayel Aporro frowned disapprovingly and sent a pulse of reiatsu into the shinigami's body to send him into a deeper sleep. As his surroundings faded away again, Tetsuya was gripped by something he realized, even sleeping, was no nightmare, but a memory.

_"Where are you taking me?" he asked the guard as the man led him out of the cellblock and turned him in the direction of the infirmary._

_The guard scowled and snapped at him to 'mind his own business' then continued to lead him past the other cells. They reached the infirmary and were directed to a white room at the end of the hall, where a lovely, but pale woman laid in a bed, watching as they entered. Tetsuya gazed at her questioningly and the woman smiled warmly and gestured for him to move closer._

_"Tetsuya," she whispered weakly, "Tetsuya, my son! Come."_

_He walked to her bedside, his wide blue eyes focused on hers. He was stunned at seeing how much he had inherited from her._

_He had never seen her face, nor his father's before._

_"Mother?" he said softly, feeling a twinge inside at using the word._

_He had long thought that his mother must be dead. He had overheard some time before that his father had been executed before he was born._

_"What happened? Did someone hurt you?" Tetsuya asked quickly._

_"No," the pretty blue-eyed woman told him, "No, Tetsuya, they did not hurt me. I became ill some time ago, and I was granted permission to see you."_

_Tetsuya was still young, but he knew that if such permission had been granted, then his mother was dying. He looked down into her eyes and slipped a small hand into hers._

_"My...b-beautiful boy," she said softly, "How you remind me of my Takao. I am so glad that I could see you!"_

_"I am glad to see you too," he said, numbness flooding his heart as he tried to cope with both seeing her for the first time and knowing that it would be the last, "I did not know if you were still alive, Mother. I heard that my father died, but no one ever talked about you."_

_"They were not allowed, on pain of death," the woman informed him, "Tetsuya, there is something that you need to know. With my passing, there is a legacy that you will be charged with carrying out."_

_"I don't understand," he whispered, "A...legacy?"_

_"You were told that your father was a Kuchiki, and that was true. But, what they said about me was a lie."_

_Tetsuya's eyes widened._

_"M-mother?"_

Tetsuya came awake suddenly, his blue eyes wide and distressed at finding himself securely bound to an examination table. A mindless, terrified scream broke from his lips as memories of the prison, of being led from his cell, taken to the infirmary and bound for the scientists' experiments came roaring back bitingly. Instantly, Aizen Sousuke's voice sounded soothingly somewhere near him. Tetsuya continued his horrified screams as his glazed eyes found Szayel Aporro and he read the malevolence in the hollow's cruelly smiling face.

"Let me go!" he cried, throwing himself furiously against the kido bindings and twisting until they cut into his skin.

The coppery scent of his blood drove him even more out of sorts and he screamed again, managing somehow to free a foot, which his planted in Szayel Aporro's chest, throwing the hollow backwards into a tray filled with sharp instruments. The hollow roared in pain and fury, jumping to his feet and rounding on the bound and seething shinigami, ready to kill him. Only Aizen's presence made him pause and merely shock Tetsuya to end his struggling.

The eyes of the watching men widened in surprise as Tetsuya not only did not fall still, but even with his powers sealed, a white glow rose around his bound body, swelling dangerously, then stunning them by shattering his bonds. Across the room, Arashi's bonds shattered also, and the stallion rolled to his feet with an equine snarl of fury.

Tetsuya came to his feet, shoving Gin aside and launching himself onto Arashi's back, then watching in surprise as the horse loosed a blast of ice blades that destroyed the wall of the infirmary, opening the way to the desert outside.

Aizen stepped in front of him, and Tetsuya gave a cry of warning to his steed, who wheeled away and flash stepped to the side, dashing for the opening and breaking free.

_There is only one way to escape him,_ Arashi's voice whispered in Tetsuya's mind, _Summon your sword and drive it into my back, near my neck. Re-kuhime will do the rest. Please trust me. I will tell you everything you cannot remember as soon as we are free!_

"Re-kuhime..." Tetsuya breathed, his eyes meeting Aizen's as the leader of the hollows emerged from the infirmary.

He felt a tingling all over his body as a slender, lovely blue sword formed in his hand. Without hesitating, he lifted the blade, tip down and drove it into the stallion's wheeling body. Arashi gave a lusty battle cry as power exploded around the two and the stallion's voice whispered a release command.

_Shinigami tenba._

Tetsuya's breath was taken away as the two were encircled with golden light that shut them away from their attackers. He felt as though he disappeared into the light, but then realized that what was happening was that his body was sinking down into Arashi's, melting and becoming part of it.

_Shinigami tenba, _Arashi explained, _It is our secret ability. Normally, we live and breathe in separate bodies, neither of us able to bear the full weight of our fighting power. But...using this technique, we can join and fight as one being. It requires a sacrifice of our consciousness and powers, once we end its use. But in the short term, we can fight with a level of power that exceeds even bankai._

"But we will lose our powers?"

_We will have to sleep for seven to ten days to restore our bodies and we will be powerless for as much as a month, but this will give us the power we need to escape Aizen Sousuke. When the mist around us clears, just relax your mind and allow me full use of our powers. I will get us out of here, Master. Please trust me!_

"I will trust you," Tetsuya agreed.

It was odd, being surrounded by darkness, but he found that as their bodies completed the joining, he could see through Arashi's eyes. And as the mist began to burn away, the stallion continued his explanation.

_The form we take is both Pegasus and Unicorn, with tremendous physical fighting power as well as shattering reiatsu. And like that divine creature, we breathe icefire that will freeze our enemies and burn their bodies away._

"Amazing!" Tetsuya whispered.

He wanted to speak more with the stallion, but was forced to set his curiosity aside as the last of the golden mist around them burned away and they were revealed to their enemies. It felt odd to Tetsuya, gazing through Arashi's blue eyes and meeting Aizen Sousuke's captivated gaze.

"He is enjoying this..."

_He likes to play games,_ Arashi acknowledged, _but this game is over and we are going home. Open your heart, my master, and let this man witness our full power!_

Tetsuya smiled inwardly, opening his heart and placing his faith in his equine soul mate. He looked through Arashi's eyes again as the stallion reared, squealing with rage that loosed itself in an icy blue blast that shattered the barrier between worlds and forced the opening of a garganta.

Aizen started in surprise as he watched the sky crack and break apart, opening the way for his captives to escape. He called instantly on the power of Kyoka Suigetsu, but the spirit in the blade gave a soft hiss of warning.

_This enemy uses a divine power, Master. It will cause my power to fail, and they will not fall under the illusion._

"A divine power," Aizen mused, staring at the beautiful horned Pegasus as its pretty wings beat and it galloped forward, launching itself into the air, "Truly exceptional."

"What will you do now?" asked Gin, "If he reaches the cavern, we will lose him."

"I will destroy him!" growled Szayel Aporro, withdrawing a small, wicked looking vial of liquid from within his uniform.

"No," Aizen said, making the Arrancar stop and glare at him, "I will take care of this."

_But how?_ queried the voice of his zanpakuto, _They use a divine power. How will we...?_

"They are not the only ones possessing a divine power," Aizen said, reaching into his clothes and with drawing the hogyoku.

He closed his eyes and focused on the powerful spirit that dwelled within the crystal housing.

"Hogyoku, lend me your power. Stop that creature."

The soul within the crystal stirred and extended its senses, then Aizen felt the rush of the device's excitement.

_Who...is this?_

Aizen gazed up at the Pegasus as it soared towards the open garganta.

_That power! That lovely power...it can only be..._

_Aizen Sousuke, you have captured a transcendent._

"A transcendent?" Aizen repeated, gazing up at the Pegasus, "He is one of _them_ then?"

_No, not yet. This one is a shinigami, but there is something about him. His transcendent power is newly awakened and he is unfamiliar with it._

"Then, you can overcome him?"

The spirit in the crystal went silent, but a swirl of power erupted from within it and headed for the fleeing Pegasus. Sensing the attack, Arashi altered his path, narrowly evading the reiatsu of the hogyoku. He banked hard as the hogyoku took aim on him a second time, then a third, just as they reached the open garganta. Arashi loosed a howl of dismay as a final bolt of reiatsu collided with him, and he felt himself being torn away from Tetsuya with stunning force.

_Master!_

Pain exploded onto Tetsuya's skin as he was viciously thrown apart from the stallion. Pegasus body shattered and Arashi's feathery winged glistened, then faded, sending Tetsuya and him crashing down onto the sand, sending a storm of billowing dust out from where they landed.

Aizen flash stepped forward with Gin a step behind. They slowed as they approached the downed shinigami and stallion.

"Are they still alive?" asked Aizen.

_They are alive,_ the hogyoku assured him, _but I sense no reiatsu around them now. When they came apart again, their power faded quickly. I am not sure what happened._

"Well," said Gin, staring at Tetsuya's collapsed form, "That was a little adventure, ne? So, shall we scoop him up and take him back to your bedroom?"

"No," said Aizen, "I think that Tetsuya needs some incentive to cooperate. Collect the two of them and fit them with reiatsu suppressing collars. Then, place the horse in the training area, where he will have some space to move about."

"And Tetsuya?" asked Gin.

"Place him in a cell in the special section of the prison."

"Oh," said Gin, smirking, "taking off the kid gloves, are we?"

"He knows more than he has told me. And now, he will tell me everything."


	5. Will You Take the Hand of the Devil?

**Chapter 5: Will you take the Hand of the Devil?**

"He has been unconscious for seven days, Sousuke," said Gin, gazing down at Tetsuya's discomfited looking expression, "Not a flicker of reiatsu...nightmares and shaking. You mean to tell me that you are not concerned? You _did _say that, despite his lack of powers, he still interests you. But why, when it seems that he is just a spent candle now?"

Aizen smiled.

"So it would seem," he agreed, "However, remember for a moment that Tetsuya is a young transcendent. He was granted exceptional power, and I do not think that such power would be frivolously given or taken away."

"Ah, I knew that you must still be convinced that he will wake and eventually regain his abilities."

"Yes," Aizen said quietly, reaching down to caress the younger man's face, "He is a fledgling who is only beginning to fly, after all. Living in a shinigami body requires a sacrifice, if one is to use such powers. This then, is the way that Tetsuya manages that power. Unable to bear the weight of his transcendant reiatsu, his soul split into two beings."

"The horse?" queried Gin, "So, that stallion...?"

"Is an extension of self," Aizen said appreciatively, looking over at Arashi's collapsed body, "Tetsuya was a prisoner for much of his life...isn't that what you were going to tell me?"

"Yes, actually," answered Gin, looking down at the report in his hand, "The files I was able to find record his birth as happening in the secret noble prison, Itamigiri. His father was from the Kuchiki family and his mother was a commoner. His parents were abducted and taken to the prison, where Kuchiki Takao, his father, was executed for being a blood traitor and his mother remained imprisoned. She died while he was still rather young, so he was cared for by an older boy named Naoki, another half blood...a member of the Aomori clan. Tetsuya was freed when Kuchiki Byakuya led an assault on the prison. Witnesses to the raid said that someone had given the guards word that he was coming, and as a result, many of the prisoners, including the boy, Naoki, were killed. Byakuya found Tetsuya and learned that he was the son of his father's favored first cousin, who had disappeared. Tetsuya was then given a place at Kuchiki Manor, and...he eventually became Byakuya's personal bodyguard and head of house security."

"Hmmm," Aizen said thoughtfully.

"It doesn't excite you that you have captured someone who is close to the greatest of the noble lords? You could use this man in a hundred different ways, ne Sousuke?"

Aizen took a slow breath, looking from Tetsuya to Arashi and back again.

"You could hypnotize him and send him back? Position him to kill his cousin...to take power from the Gotei 13 and noble families?"

"I could," said Aizen, "but I will not."

"What?" said Gin, surprise lighting his face.

Aizen's eyes fixed on Tetsuya's sleeping face.

"Part of defeating any enemy is recognizing the worth in every player on the field...even the seemingly inconsequential ones."

"What are you saying?" asked Gin, "You have a better way of using him to defeat the Gotei 13?"

"I am not concerned about the Gotei 13. We will annihilate them. And they are not the ones who I am most interested in destroying."

"Then, you think he will be useful in reaching the king?" asked Gin, stealing a glance at the young man.

Aizen was silent for a moment.

"Perhaps. Gin, I have some things to see to. I want you to return Tetsuya to his cell, Arashi also."

"You are going to keep them in the prison?" Gin asked, smirking, "I thought you _liked_ him. You know that the hollow guards..."

"No one will touch Tetsuya on pain of death. But he is to be kept in the prison. Only Miki and I will be allowed to pass through the seal on their cells."

"You have a plan in mind for bringing him to your side, no?"

Aizen let out an amused breath and turned away.

"I _always_ have a plan, Gin. Always."

Gin watched Aizen leave, then leaned over Tetsuya again, sighing and shaking his head.

"Such an arrogant man, isn't he? But then, you were hated by your own clan, ne Tetsuya? You know all about arrogance, so you should be right at home with him. But, I'll tell you what. I'll be watching. And if it seems he's getting too close to his goals, I will make sure that he doesn't reach them. Aizen Sousuke may always have a plan, but what will be his downfall is that he doesn't realize that _I_ have my own plans."

He lifted Tetsuya's limp body into his arms and summoned several large hollows to carry Arashi. They left the infirmary and carried the two through the tower, then down into the prison. Gin watched as Arashi was placed in a cell, then he carried Tetsuya into a second. He laid the shinigami on the cot in the cell, then smiled down at him.

"Rest well," he told the noble, "I am sure that, once he makes his move, he is going to keep you very, very busy, Tetsuya-san!"

He stopped and chuckled softly to himself.

"Oh that's right," Gin mused, "I never did get the chance to tell him that the invocation of your divine form burned away the seal that safeguards your virtue! I wonder how long it will take him to figure that out. Oh well, that should be rather fun to watch."

XXXXXXXXXX

_What happened?_

_Why can't I feel anything?_

_Did he kill me?_

_I cannot feel my body, nor my own reiatsu. And those voices that reached me before have gone silent. It is too quiet now._

_Where am I?_

_I feel cold. It feels as though something heavy weighs me down. And I sense no one around me. _

_Am I alone?_

_I remember that woman who I dreamed about...the one who tried to tell me something about us. I know that woman was my mother, but I do not know her name. And I did not hear what she told me. I still have no idea who I am._

_But now I know that I need desperately to learn that. I will take whatever path I must to that end. But to do that, I need to come out of this darkness. I have to open my eyes and make my body move. I wonder, though, what it was that put me in this state. Did Aizen Sousuke injure me? Did he kill me? Did he make me a hollow? Or is it that the power I called on was too much for me?_

Tetsuya's eyelids fluttered and his eyes slowly opened.

_That coldness I felt before. It was this place he put me in. I see now. He saw the power I wielded and now wants to take it away from me. I wonder if that means that he has learned who I am. And he hates me for it._

He thought back to the feel of Aizen's hands slowly washing him, and the way it had felt the first time the man kissed him...just before the seal stopped them.

_Those hands did not feel like hands that despised me, but...why do I know what it feels like to be touched by malevolent hands?_

A flash of memory startled him, so that he sat up, staring at the cold metal bars that imprisoned him, the small cell and the shackle on one slender, bare ankle.

_"You are the scum of Soul Society, half blood! And no matter how you try to pretend you are not, that is what you will always be."_

_"We are people too!" he shouted back._

_"Tetsuya, no!" cried the brown-haired boy standing next to him, "Tetsuya!"_

_"You can't lock us away like this forever!" he cried fiercely, "You call us animals, but what people would hurt us like this? You are the animals!"_

_He felt a hard shock strike his small body and his cellmate gasped and shouted his name again, catching him as he fell. The kido blasts fired repeatedly until both youths laid on their cell floor unconscious and the furious guard kicked the metal bars, then stalked away._

The image in his mind faded and was followed by another.

_He knelt in front of the tall flagpole in the prison courtyard, his wrists kido-bound to the pole and his body bared to the waist._

_"This is what you get for being willful, you stinking little half blooded rat!"_

_A whip struck his back and he tensed sharply, but held back from making a sound._

_"Oh, still being stubborn, ne?" the guard said sarcastically, "Well, let's just see how long you can stay that way!"_

_The guard's breath hissed and the whip snapped against his back again, but he gritted his teeth and refused to yield a sound, despite the tears that leaked onto his face. The whip rose and fell repeatedly, each time looking for a new, untouched bit of his skin to strike. Tetsuya closed his wet eyes and felt his thin body was shaking madly with the strain. At some point, he collapsed and the guard left him there, until his cellmate came later to collect him. The other boy sobbed at seeing the horrid cuts and bruises on his back, but Tetsuya shook his head to stop him, then slipped a quivering hand into his and walked back with him into the cellblock._

"This is it, then?" he whispered, tears coming to his eyes, "I have become useless again and he has discarded me?"

He slid off the cot and stood on unsteady legs, looking around in the semi-darkness, shivering with cold. Taking a thin blanket from the cot, he retreated to the corner of the cell, behind the bed and knelt, pressing into the corner and still shivering, despite the covering.

"I really am lost now. Is there no one who will come for me?"

He laid down on the floor, looking over the cot and out the front of his cell to where Arashi stood, looking in his direction.

_Arashi?_

He waited a moment, then tried again to make contact, reaching out with his mind. When he received nothing in return, he looked up at the stallion and spoke aloud.

"Arashi?"

A feeling of sickness passed through him at the silence that was his only answer.

"You...cannot speak to me?" he asked softly, his large blue eyes taking on a wounded look, "Arashi...you said that...that you would tell me everything. And now, you cannot even speak to me? Arashi please, I need you to speak to me!"

He froze at the sound of a clanging door in the distance, then cringed into the corner, wrapping his arms around his bent knees and burying his face in his arms. The sound of footsteps approaching his cell made him cringe and cover his ears as the memory of the noble prison returned to him.

_"I'm scared, Naoki!" he whispered, clinging tightly to the older boy and burying his face in his shoulder as the guard approached, looked into their cell, then continued walking down the row of cells._

_"It's all right," Naoki said, stroking his hair, "I know you're scared, Tetsuya, but you must not cry out loud. You musn't make a sound that will annoy the guards. Just hold on to me. I will take care of you."_

"Naoki," Tetsuya whispered, remembering, "My friend was Naoki."

_I wonder where he is now? And why do I feel such pain inside, thinking about him? Perhaps it is just that this time, I have no one. Arashi cannot speak to me and there is no one else here..._

He flinched and cringed harder into the corner of the cell as the door at the beginning of the row of cells clanked loudly, then footsteps continued towards his cell. They stopped just outside, and for a moment, everything went silent again.

"Tetsuya-san?" said Miki's voice.

He heard the sound of a key in the cell door lock, then the door slid open and Miki stepped inside, carrying a tray of food. He shut the cell door behind him, then carried the food to the cot, where he placed it on the nightstand. He walked around the bed and stopped in front of the curled, miserable prisoner, smiling sadly.

"Tetsuya-san, it's going to be all right. Come, you should eat something."

"I am sorry, Miki-san," Tetsuya said softly, "I cannot eat. I feel so ill."

The white-haired hollow knelt in front of him, his silver eyes showing concern as he felt for fever, then shook his head disapprovingly.

"You should still be resting, Tetsuya-san. Come, I will help you back into bed."

"No please," Tetsuya whispered, his face paling, "I just want to stay here. I will be fine here."

"No," objected the hollow, "You don't want to stay here on the floor. It's cold and there's a draft. You will really get sick, Tetsuya-san. Come on."

"Why do you care anyway?" Tetsuya asked quietly, "Aren't you just obeying _his _orders? You don't care about me, any more than he does, do you? Leave me alone. Just go."

Miki's eyes took on a sad look and he bit his lip gently.

"Tetsuya-san," he said softly, "I will admit that I do not like most shinigamis. They frighten me, because when they come to this place, they come to kill us. That's _most _shinigamis. But Aizen-sama is different. He says that we deserve a better existence, and he tries to help us to develop our powers. We know he has his own goals, of course, but we welcome the chance to better ourselves and the way we live. So, I do not hate Aizen-sama."

He paused for a moment, reaching out and capturing Tetsuya's hand in his.

"You are even more different than him, Tetsuya-san. You are quiet and kind. You do not seem to look down on me. You ask for little and show gratitude for what you are given. You are a good person, and I am glad that Aizen-sama chose me to attend you. I hope that we can remain friends, even though I must obey his orders and you must stay here, in the prison."

"But if Aizen-sama ordered you to kill me, you would do it, ne?" Tetsuya asked pointedly.

Miki froze, staring.

"Aizen-sama would never..."

"If he did," Tetsuya said more forcefully, "then you would take my life, would you not?"

"N-no!" the hollow objected, "Tetsuya-san, Aizen-sama wouldn't! Stop saying such things. You are only making yourself more miserable. I am sorry that you have to stay here, and I will try very hard not too make it unpleasant for you. I...like you, Tetsuya-san! I don't' want you to dislike me!"

Tetsuya lifted his head slightly, revealing his proud, tearstained face.

"Then, help me get out of here," he said, more calmly, "If you really want to be my friend, don't leave me locked up in this place. Help me. Open a garganta for me so that I can go back to Soul Society!"

"Tetsuya-san, you don't understand! The prison...it has protections so that a garganta cannot be opened here. And there are many guards...so many guards. We would be caught! Then, both of us would be punished. Aizen-sama does not like to be disobeyed."

"Well, Aizen-sama is not my master, and as long as I am in control of my own mind, I will _never_ let him order me! He can lock me up in here forever, but I won't let him control me! I would rather die!"

"Miki," said Aizen's voice from the cell entrance.

The two younger men looked up in surprise at his having entered the room so silently they hadn't heard him.

"Go now. I will see to Tetsuya."

"Y-yes, Aizen-sama," the hollow said, fleeing the chamber.

Aizen gazed down at Tetsuya disapprovingly as the cell door clicked shut. The younger man buried his face in his arms, ignoring his captor. The leader of the hollows stepped forward, capturing Tetsuya by the front of his yukata and dragging him to his feet. Tetsuya's jaw tightened rebelliously and he avoided the other man's eyes.

"You don't belong cowering in that corner..._Kuchiki_ Tetsuya," he said firmly.

"You have learned my name?" Tetsuya asked, startled into meeting Aizen's eyes.

"I have," Aizen confirmed, "Kuchiki Tetsuya, clan leader Kuchiki Byakuya's trusted cousin, personal bodyguard and head of house security at Kuchiki Manor. Does any of that sound familiar to you?"

"Byakuya?" Tetsuya repeated, testing the name on his lips, "It does feel familiar when I speak it...Byakuya-_sama_, though. That is what I call him. Still, I cannot remember his face."

He looked up at Aizen questioningly.

"What else did you learn?"

"Your parents were Kuchikis Takao and Kiko. They were abducted and placed in the secret noble prison, Itamigiri, because your father, Takao, married a commoner and was thus considered a blood traitor by the faction that ran the prison. They were incarcerated and your father executed. Kuchiki Kiko gave birth to you, but died while you were a child. You were cared for by another boy..."

"Naoki," said Tetsuya, "I have remembered him."

"Yes, but Naoki was killed when Byakuya led a raid against the prison."

Aizen's eyes softened at the sudden look of anguish that crossed Tetsuya's face, then was hastily controlled and hidden.

"I take it you did not yet remember that," Aizen said apologetically, "You were taken to Kuchiki Manor and Byakuya, learning that his father and yours had been close, took you in."

"Thank you," Tetsuya said quietly, "It does help to have some better sense of myself."

"I think so," Aizen agreed, "However, now we must move on to other things."

"I want to go home," Tetsuya said abruptly, "You know who I am, therefore the only right thing to do is to allow me to leave peacefully."

Aizen smiled and shook his head firmly.

"No. You will not be leaving Las Noches, Tetsuya."

"But..."

"You are a close confidante of the leader of the greatest of the noble clans. As their sworn enemy having captured one of their kinsmen, and one in a strategic position, I am obligated to keep you here."

"As a political prisoner?" Tetsuya concluded, "I am to be imprisoned in this cell, now?"

"That all depends," Aizen said, eyeing him meaningfully, "You defied me and attempted to leave the fortress."

"And I will do so again, given the chance," Tetsuya countered, his blue eyes flashing aggressively, "I will not be forced to stay here against my will!"

Aizen stepped forward, trapping the younger man between him and the wall behind him, and gazed sternly down at him through dangerously darkened brown eyes.

"You will not be able to escape. And if you will not agree to stay, then you will spend your time locked in here, which I know is a great burden to your heart, having been a prisoner before."

"Well, if the _freedom_ I will gain by being cooperative means being your plaything and being used as you like, then I will gladly suffer this! I will not betray my family to serve you! I may not remember you, but it is clear enough to me that you betrayed your own kind and came here, making plans to overthrow the king whom I am sworn to serve!"

"You claim allegiance to that family that you don't even remember? To a king whose face you have never seen? One who granted you transcendent power, then let those vicious men lock you away and keep those powers from you for years on end? Think of the pain you suffered, Tetsuya, because it is obvious that _that_ has come back to haunt you. "

"And you will end that pain by imprisoning me _here_ instead? You still deny me my powers..."

"No, you lost your powers because you are a shinigami bearing the weight of being a young transcendent. There is every reason to believe that with rest and care, your reiatsu will stabilize and your powers will return."

"What does that matter if I am to be locked up in a cage?" argued the noble, "You pretend to concern yourself with me, but all you care about is what is in it for you! So, I will save you the trouble of asking. I will not obey you, not ever, Aizen Sousuke! You can lock me away here and you can torment me to the end of my days, but you will _never_ make me obey you...not EVER!"

The cell went silent for a moment as Aizen continued to glare down into Tetsuya's seething eyes, considering his words.

"What would you say if I told you that I can give you something that your noble family can't...something that your devoted _king_ won't?"

"What do you mean?" Tetsuya asked, frowning, "What can you offer me?"

Aizen's lips snaked into a lovely, wicked smile.

"I, like you, am a transcendent," he explained, meeting Tetsuya's eyes meaningfully. There is no one better than me to help you grow your divine powers, Tetsuya. I will train you to use them to the best advantage."

"Do you not mean _your_ best advantage?" Tetsuya asked dryly.

"I will, of course, use you at times. But you will be gaining something in return."

"I will not betray my own to gain power. I am not that kind of person, Aizen Sousuke. I don't need to remember myself to know that!"

"I don't doubt that," Aizen said, looking at the younger man with affection, "Very well, then, I will agree not to use you against the Gotei 13 or your family. Will that suit you?"

"I will not betray the king," Tetsuya said stiffly, "I may be a half blood, but I am not a traitor!"

"No, hardly that," Aizen agreed, "Very well. I offer you this. I will train you to use your divine powers and I will not ask you to act against your own. You will agree to remain here at Las Noches and to obey my every command that does not breach our agreement. You will return to my room, and when the seal on your core spirit center has been removed, you will consent to become my lover. You will submit to me, body, mind and heart until the end of the war, at which time we will choose our directions."

"And if I refuse?" Tetsuya asked, "Will you keep me imprisoned here? Will you kill me, Aizen Sousuke?"

Aizen let out a soft, amused breath and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"What does that matter to you, Tetsuya?" he said, smirking, "You know that if you want to master those powers, there is no one but me who will allow it. Gin told me that among the information he found was a communication between your elders stating that even though you had reached manifestation, you were to be given no help in becoming stronger. And the king who gave you those powers will not come here to help you. You know in your heart that you must become stronger. I see it in your eyes. Now, why would you choose then to sit here, cowered in the cold corner of a cell and powerless, when I can help you to know every part of yourself?"

He took a step back, leaving Tetsuya reeling for a moment, before he recovered and remained with his back against the cell wall.

"Perhaps you need some time to consider, Kuchiki Tetsuya. But as you do, remember this...only I have an interest in training you, only I have the power and knowledge to do so. And I have not asked you to become a traitor. I ask only that you agree to obey me while you are my prisoner."

He waited for a moment as Tetsuya absorbed the words.

"I will leave you now. You and Arashi are safe here. And I will be back. You can summon Miki to see to your needs by speaking his name."

Tetsuya watched in silence as Aizen turned away, and he had to clench his jaw to keep his silence.

_Although I ache so much to feel that power grow within me, I do not trust this man. I must think this through carefully before giving in to his wishes._

He stiffened his resolve, knowing it was only right to give such an important matter due consideration.

But both men's eyes widened in surprise as the cell door began to close and Tetsuya's voice sounded, the words echoing lightly off the rock walls of the cells.

"Aizen Sousuke..._I accept your offer_."


	6. The Subversion of Will

**Chapter 6: The Subversion of Will**

"What was that?" Aizen asked curiously, gazing deeply into Tetsuya's shocked and tormented blue eyes, "What was that you said to me?"

Tetsuya struggled to reason out why he would have spoken, but could think of no explanation for why he would ever make such an agreement. And looking over at his stallion, he could see that Arashi looked as dismayed as Tetsuya felt. Aizen looked from one to the other appraisingly, then seemed to decide on something.

"Tell me again," he said, focusing on Tetsuya's eyes, boring down into them and letting his reiatsu swirl around the younger man.

This time he spotted it.

_Fear._

_Then, they went golden, just for a moment...as though he lost control of himself. And in that moment..._

"You heard me," Tetsuya said, looking surprised at his own words, "I said that I accept your terms."

The ghost of a smile touched Aizen's lips.

"Fascinating..." he murmured, placing his hand under Tetsuya's chin and gazing even more deeply into his eyes.

"Wh-what? What do you mean?" Tetsuya asked, fear plain in his delicate features, "What's happening to me? Why can't I...?"

"Why indeed," mused Aizen, "I am wondering the same thing, Tetsuya. We have a young transcendent, imprisoned, then held back from being trained by his own clan. Rescued and not-so-secretly trained by Kuchiki Byakuya...abducted and sent into the desert to die at the hands of the hollow dogs."

"There was another hollow, a humanoid one that the hollow dog killed," Tetsuya remembered, "I know that he was not my abductor. My abductors were shinigamis."

"Is that so?" Aizen queried, thinking carefully, "And then, after eluding your abductors, you were chased by hollow dogs and dropped at my feet. That is very convenient."

He regarded the noble darkly for a moment.

"You are not a willing participant?" he asked suspiciously.

"As though I would allow myself to be abducted and half eaten by hollow dogs!" Tetsuya objected.

"True," agreed Aizen, "however, you may know more than you are willing to admit. You have remembered some things, so you may have remembered other things too. Perhaps your memory loss was part of the plan, ne?"

"I don't know what you are talking about!" Tetsuya objected furiously, "I didn't have _anything_ to do with my own abduction! What reason could I possibly have for doing something like that?"

Aizen's narrowed eyes slowly closed, then opened again.

"_Someone_ wanted you to come to me, Tetsuya," he said with certainty, "I do not know if you were complicit, if the person who abducted you knew anything, if the humanoid hollow was involved or if the hollow dogs were used by a being of higher power."

"You begin to sound paranoid," Tetsuya said, shaking his head, "All of those others could not be working together! That would be absurd. Nobles? Kidnappers? Intelligent hollows and primal ones working together to bring me to you? And the hollow dogs nearly tore me apart! How then were they working with the others to bring me to you?"

"Indeed, there are too many pieces that do not fit together properly," Aizen acknowledged, "But, one thing does make sense to me...and that is...what happened when you agreed to my terms."

"I told you I...!"

"You felt a loss of control. You felt as though another was speaking?"

Tetsuya's eyes flared and he took a step back, tearing away from Aizen's hand that was still under his chin.

"You!" he cried accusingly, "You are trying to force me to agree to what you want! That's what this is, isn't it? Seduction wasn't working, so you stopped trying to convince me and just used force. You unholy BASTARD! Don't think you can...!"

Tetsuya went still, his heart in his throat as Aizen pushed him back against the rock wall of the cell, clenching the front of his yukata, surrounding him with mind numbing reiatsu and glaring dangerously down into his eyes.

"You might want to remember just who you are talking to, Kuchiki Tetsuya," he warned the noble in a chilling, dead-calm voice, "If I wanted you to be crushed under my will, I would have already done so, and you would be my willing slave, or you would be dead at my feet. I did not desire that. Instead, I offered you the opportunity to train to use your transcendent powers properly. And when you attempted to refuse, as I could see very well that you wanted to, your eyes glowed golden for a moment, then went back to normal as you agreed to my terms."

"Wh-what does that mean?" Tetsuya managed, shakenly, reeling as Aizen's power eased and he found himself able to move again, "If it wasn't you who was forcing me to agree to this, then who was it? Who would do that?"

Aizen's eyes gentled and looked contemplative.

"I think that the better question is "_Who could do that?" _While I have the power, of course, to subvert the will of those around me, I would have to use a large amount of power to subdue the will of someone like you. And yet, you barely perceive that you have been used. You only really know you have, because I told you it was happening. And I did not sense anyone else's reiatsu affecting you when it happened."

"So, what does that mean?" Tetsuya asked, swallowing hard and trying to quell the shaking in his body.

"What that means," Aizen told him quietly, "is that the one controlling your answer was not shinigami, hollow or human."

"What?" Tetsuya breathed, his face paling, "You are saying that...?"

"You are a member of the Kuchiki clan, the greatest of the noble clans. And you were quick to assert your dedication to the soul king, even before you remembered yourself. You are also, as we have discovered, a young transcendent, Tetsuya, a future servant of the king, from the looks of it, a future member of the mounted guard, the Kishu. This suggests, even more strongly, that if your will is being subverted, it is being affected by a force that you accept as the ruling force of your being."

Tetsuya's eyes rounded.

"Y-you mean...the...soul king, himself? _He _handed me over to you? To be trained by you? To be your lover? To be commanded by you? Do you know how impossible that sounds? Aizen-sama, the king does not force his will on free beings! He values our free will and our self-determination. He would never...!"

"In most cases, he would not," Aizen agreed, "Because the soul king is a creature of balance and order. Free will allows us to grow and change, to develop in our own unique ways...to excel or to fall short, to endure or to give up, to choose the pathways we follow in our lives. For a creature like that to subvert the will of one of his servants, he must be worried that something was going to upset the balance of the three worlds, Tetsuya."

"Upset the balance?"

"Yes," Aizen said, looking even more convinced, "Think carefully. You are a little over a hundred years old...a young noble, and a transcendent who is in his infancy. And you were born at the exact time, Tetsuya, that I was working to perfect my understanding of the hogyoku."

"Wait a minute," Tetsuya said, frowning, "Are you saying that I was born _because_ you began to plot against the king?"

As he spoke, the memory of his mother returned to his mind.

_"Tetsuya, there is something that you need to know. With my passing, there is a legacy that you will be charged with carrying out."_

_"I don't understand," he whispered, "A...legacy?"_

_"You were told that your father was a Kuchiki, and that was true. But, what they said about me was a lie."_

Tetsuya closed his burning eyes against the possibility, his face paling further and an awful, sick feeling rising up inside him.

"Tetsuya," Aizen said more quietly, his fingertips lightly caressing the distressed shinigami's cheek, "I know this is difficult for you to accept. After all, you have suffered so much for one so young...and why? You told yourself the answer repeatedly over the years, did you not? That the price of free will is that sometimes we will suffer. Life is not fair because all of us having free will, sometimes our wills cross and collide in ways we cannot foresee, sometimes things do not work out as we hope, and sometimes fate steps in and complicates things. But through it all, we endure, striving to pick and choose the path that will lead us to true happiness. Isn't that what you had been led to believe?"

He brushed away a tear that leaked suddenly onto the younger man's face.

"And yet, after suffering as you did, after placing your fate in the soul king's hands and surviving the horrid treatment you endured in the prison, the one you trusted all along, the king who you devote yourself to so steadfastly and trust so completely...steals away the one thing that has always comforted you."

"Stop!" Tetsuya pleaded, his voice breaking and more tears leaking onto his face, "Don't say anymore! Because if that is true..."

"Your king did not ask for your obedience, Tetsuya."

"I said stop!" Tetsuya cried, turning his head away.

"He did not even command you, Tetsuya," Aizen went on, moving in closer and capturing the noble's teary face in his hands.

"Aizen-sama, p-please...don't say..."

"He stole away the comfort of your free will and forced you to accept my terms...not just to allow me to train you in the use of your powers, but to lie down and give your pure body to me as well. He used you and whored you to the enemy, Tetsuya."

"Stop, I said!" Tetsuya sobbed, his legs weakening, "Don't say that! It's not true. It cannot be! You're only trying to confuse me. I don't know why. I don't understand why. But, I won't believe that my king would do that! We are taught from childhood that the relationship between the king and his noble families is special, the bond strong. Our king would never...but you want me to believe that, don't you!"

"I am only pointing out what is most likely to be true, Tetsuya."

"No! You want to use me in your plot to undo the king. And if he has not asked me, it is because to do so would have..."

"Stop trying to rationalize after the fact and accept the truth, Tetsuya. Your body, your mind, your heart...all of you that you have devoted to this king whom you have never seen, is being laid at my feet. And ironically, because my free will is still intact, I may do whatever I wish with you...even kill you, Tetsuya."

Tetsuya's legs gave way and he dropped onto his knees at Aizen's feet, crying silently. To his surprise, Aizen lowered himself onto his knees as well and wrapped his arms around the younger man.

"I won't believe it," Tetsuya sobbed softly, "I won't believe that he would do that to me...that he would not ask for my obedience, that he would not command me, but would simply...take away..."

He was shocked at how comforting Aizen's arms felt as they wrapped around him and held him tightly.

"Don't lose hope, Tetsuya," he said quietly, "I know your faith has been shattered. Everything you believed about the king is being tested. But consider this and be comforted. I have long known something that other people refuse to believe...that while we all strive to find a being higher than ourselves to love and protect us, to keep the order of our worlds intact, the truth is that there is no highest power."

"I won't be led astray by you," Tetsuya whispered, his voice catching as Aizen's fingers brushed away his tears.

"The soul king is a fixture we use to keep order, to give ourselves a reason to believe that we are safe. But...if we are brave enough to look beyond that lie, we learn that we can reshape our world at will."

"What are you telling me?" Tetsuya asked, shivering as one of Aizen's hands slid into his.

"I am telling you that blind obedience is not necessary, though we are led to believe it is an admirable thing."

"But...?"

"Of course the soul king wants us to obey him," Aizen went on, "If we are subservient, if we bend easily to his will, then we will not seek to overthrow him. He can use us as he likes to keep the world the way he wants it."

"That's not true!" Tetsuya insisted, "The balance in our worlds is maintained by the..."

"The collisions of free will and fate, yes," Aizen agreed, "And did you know that the balance has shifted since I began my work on developing the hogyoku, Tetsuya?"

"Because you seek to overthrow him," Tetsuya said accusingly, "Who would not defend his crown if threatened that way!"

"But even if he was defending his crown, think of the callousness of what he did. This king, this being charged with maintaining the balance of our worlds did something to damage that balance himself. Instead of calling you to him and explaining what he needed, instead of asking or commanding you, which would have, of course, earned your immediate obedience anyway, he forgot that you were a creature of devotion. He overthrew your will and made you answer the way that you did. He threw you at me, Tetsuya."

"N-no..."

"Do you want me to prove to you just how badly you have been used?"

"I want you to let me go," Tetsuya said softly.

"I won't do that."

"If indeed, the soul king has overtaken my will and thrown me at your feet, desiring that you should train and use me, then does it not make more sense to kill or abandon me?" the noble said wearily, "I do not think that you are correct in what you said, but even if it is true, then why would you accept what he offered you? You think he is playing a game with you?"

"I know it is painful for you to think that this one whom you trust would use you so callously," Aizen acknowledged, bringing the distressed shinigami's head to rest on his shoulder, "But let me reassure you, Tetsuya. The truth may be darker and more frightening than anything we can imagine, the ones we put our faith in more treacherous than we want to believe, but you needn't break yourself apart over this. I can offer you comfort to sustain you."

"Why would you bother doing that? If what you say is true, I have no power to resist your will or his. I am nothing but a pawn on the chessboard. What I would desire or hope for or dream of does not matter at all in what happens. Even if I had my powers right now, I would be helpless. So, tell me, Aizen-sama, if you are so wise...why is it that while my own trusted king supposedly usurps my free will and forces me to the ground at your feet, you...the enemy of my king, the one who would kill him and take his place, retains his free will and chooses to allow me mine? Why do you continue to explain to me, to seek to make me understand and to ask...not command, but ask me to agree to your terms?"

Aizen gave him an oddly gentle smile and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Exactly," he said, squeezing the slender hand he still held, "Tetsuya, all of what I have been doing was to get you to ask that question. It is the one that I asked a hundred or so years ago and the one that led to my creation of the hogyoku. You see, it is natural enough for us to need a higher power. But, when that higher power becomes corrupted, it is also the duty of the strong to see that the balance is restored."

"W-wait. You are telling me that our king has been corrupted?" Tetsuya asked, barely able to make himself utter the suggestion.

"Think about what he did to you," Aizen went on, "Something of that nature happened to me a long time ago. I wasn't a noble. I was just a normal shinigami, like you...or so I thought. But let us save that story for a later time. You are weary and you have had quite a shock. Come, I will have Miki take you to the healing pool for a warm soak and then you can rest for a while."

"Why?" Tetsuya asked, sagging against him, "It doesn't matter."

"Why doesn't it matter?"

"Because if you wrong or lying about the king, I should not give in to you. And even if you are right, giving in to you would only give the corrupted king what he wants. What I would choose has become irrelevant."

Aizen curved a hand around his cheek and moved in closer.

"Then...let me offer you this, Tetsuya. I will accept the king's manipulation this much. I will train you, as he wants. However, whether you choose to remain my enemy or to give me your heart, will rest in the place that it should."

"What are you saying?" Tetsuya said sadly, "Whatever I would choose, the seal still inhibits me. Even in that way, I have no choice."

"Of course you have a choice," Aizen breathed in his ear, "And I plan to completely respect that."

Tetsuya's body went taut and his breath caught painfully as Aizen's lips captured his and he waited for the shock of pain that should have followed. But as the kiss deepened and his body quivered under Aizen's hands, he was surprised that there was no pain, nothing to stop them. He stared back at the leader of the hollows, the devastation returning to his heart in a painful clutch that made him want to scream. But he shouldered that pain quietly, even as the last bit of hope he had broke apart and faded.

"You see," Aizen whispered, "the seal has shattered. And yes, I could claim the right to make you my lover as your own lips have agreed to the exchange. But...I will wait, Tetsuya. I will wait...until the choice to love me or not...is your own."


End file.
